Suspect: Ramos’ sister is real mastermind

The eldest sister of murdered senior diplomat Alicia Ramos orchestrated the break-in that led to her death last month, a suspect claimed yesterday.

Robert "Obet" Lumagui, a 39-year-old contractor, told reporters that it was Ester Ramos-Bailey, 66, who allegedly ordered them to scare Ramos and their youngest sister, Leticia Ramos, 61.

Bailey is reportedly still confined at the St. Claire Hospital in Makati City. At the time of Ramos’ death last April 24, she was confined at the hospital, according to earlier reports.

Lumagui turned himself in to Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay through Barangay Palanan chairman Arnold Magpantay, claiming his conscience bothered him. He had been hiding in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija and wanted to surrender earlier, but feared that turning himself in to the wrong person could endanger his life.

Binay said he first talked to Lumagui over the phone Sunday night. "I assured him that he will be given the chance to present his side in a court of law, and that he will be safe while under police custody," he said.

Binay said Makati police chief Senior Superintendent Jovito Gutierrez sent a team along with Magpantay to Nueva Ecija to facilitate Lumagui’s surrender.

Lumagui said in Filipino that Bailey was angry with her sisters because they refused to let her handle her own money, "even her pension, because she was a spendthrift."

He said Bailey’s late husband was an American and a former United States military officer. He claimed Bailey needed money because she frequently stays at St. Claire Hospital "for one week or two" to undergo treatment for a psychiatric problem.

Lumagui, who resides on No. 1830 Dian st. in Barangay Palanan, said he is close to the Ramos sisters and is a childhood friend of Bailey’s sons Stewart and Jessie.

He was also familiar with the Ramos residence because the sisters had hired him as a handyman on several occasions.

"They were very good to me, I owe them so much. That is why when the mastermind approached me to break inside their house and scare her two sisters, I declined the offer four times," Lumagui said.

He added that Bailey conceptualized the plan just before Christmas last year. A week before the break-in, he said he wanted to warn Ramos but three men accosted him and threatened to kill his children if he would not push through with Bailey’s plan.

Lumagui said she had also threatened to recruit someone else "but would implicate me no matter what happens." Against his will, he said he recruited Joel Ablay, Michael Cenil and Jun Maricar to harass Ramos.

"I told them that our only objective was to scare Alicia. I told them not to hurt her and we had no plans of conducting a robbery. It was only when we were already inside the house that my companions did the robbery," Lumagui said.

He explained that he decided to do his own recruiting "for fear that the group Ester wanted to hire and let me accompany them would also kill me while inside" the Ramos residence.

Lumagui, Ablay and Cenil said they never intended to kill Ramos but accidentally covered her nose with packing tape, which made it impossible for her to breathe.

The suspects barged into the Ramos residence on No. 5552 Boyle st. in Barangay Palanan at dawn on April 24. They hog-tied and gagged Ramos and Leticia.

He said they panicked and fled when Ramos and Leticia lost consciousness. Leticia subsequently escaped, went to Bailey at the hospital, and informed police at a nearby station. Authorities later found Ramos’ face covered with packing tape and declared she had died of suffocation.

Bailey reportedly promised to pay Lumagui P20,000, but he said he never received the money. "Ester told me she will be the one to fix (everything) after the harassment of Alicia," he said.

Lumagui said Bailey had various vices and behaved like a "one-day millionaire," dependent on Ramos to provide for her needs.

Lumagui claimed to be an amateur in crime and said he never had a criminal record — not even for jaywalking — prior to the break-in. He added he was not sure if his cohorts had clean police records.

He was brought to the National Capital Region office of the National Bureau of Investigation. NBI-NCR regional director Edmund Arugay and the Makati City police are preparing the documents to include Lumagui in the robbery with homicide case earlier filed against Ablay, a 25-year-old pedicab driver of Makati City, and Cenil, 21, a resident of Batangas. Ablay and Cenil are cousins, according to earlier reports.

Arugay said he asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) to request that the Bureau of Immigration place Bailey on its watch list to prevent her from slipping out of the country. He said Bailey holds a US visa.

NBI sources said they are still hunting down three suspects: Maricar, the actual mastermind, and another woman.

The NBI said they will consider recommending Lumagui to the DOJ’s witness protection program since, under its amended definition, a suspect can avail himself or herself of the program so long as he or she is not the most guilty.

At the Department of Foreign Affairs where Ramos worked as an assistant secretary, acting DFA Secretary Franklin Ebdalin said "the wheels of justice are now turning" and that Ramos’ friends and colleagues "are confident that justice will be vigorously served on those responsible for this crime." — With Pia Lee-Brago, Jose Rodel Clapano